M a g a z i n e

GRADE 7’SFIRSTEDITIONPro’s and Con’s of school uniforms

Ozil:Key to Arsenal’s success?

Cafeteria food:Good or Bad?

Smart devices: Do we really need them?Are classrooms the right place to work?

Seahawks, king of the NFL playoffs

Sports facilities delay causes uproar in HKA

TheWhitePolo’s

Keith Choa Monday, 4 November, 2013 2:40:41 PM Hong Kong Standard Time

By: Hanna Gilmore29 October, 2013

Instagram is an extremely popular social network amongst teens. It is a place to share photos and videos of your photography with friends, family and random strangers (if you’re an open followers). I have an Instagram account and I love sharing photos and videos with my friends. I also love viewing and liking my friends’ funny photos and videos. Over 100 million people around the world use Instagram and I hope that after you read this editorial you will be one of them, too!

Reason #1: Instagram helps you keep in contact with long distance friendsInstagram is a way of keeping in contact with long distance friends. Many people move away from there original home and have to say goodbye to friends and of course you’re going to want to stay in contact with them. Instagram can help you with that. You can do more than just text, you can also send videos and post pictures with #hashtags and shoutouts to your friends. When I asked if they used instagram to keep in contact with long distance friends in my interview, Georgia Williams and Emily Rupper both answered “Yes.” Emily Rupper added ,“I keep in contact with friends in the States using Instagram.”

Reason #2: Taking random, crazy photos is funPosting pictures of creative landscape photography is great, but I think its more fun to post random photos of your awesome life on Instagram. Georgia Williams also mentioned how her most common kind of photo she posted was random photos. Posting random videos of your cat doing a flip or a creative photo of your friend and yourself making a crazy face gets people’s attention. Most people would agree to saying that random photos are the best photos. For example, 7th grader Bianca said,”I think its good to have random photos of you and friends hanging out, having fun instead of like selfies and food you eat.”

Reason #3: Instagram is like a digital diary that you can share with people and tell your friends about what you’re doing

Instagram is a great, fun public way to share your life with the world (if you’re an open follower) or it can be something you only share with your friends (if your a closed follower). I like to keep it safe a be a closed follower. FYI you can become a closed user by going onto your account settings and look for the button open user or closed user so you can keep your account safe from other people with bad intentions. You can post your every move on Instagram. What you eat for your meals and what you do during the day. For example, 7th grader, Oliver Taylor said,” Instagram is like a life diary to put stuff on, but it can be obsessive.” Oliver’s comment is also followed by a mild warning. English teacher Ms. Swinehart agreed with this statement and mentioned it’s more of a public journal that needs to be shared carefully. You can take Instagram anywhere you go because it is also an app on Apple products (for free), which makes it portable, allowing you to record what you do during your day!

Overall Instagram is amazing! There are many more reasons why people should have it, however I have just included the reasons that are most popular. All my interviewees agreed with my reasons explaining why teenagers should definitely use Instagram because its a way to contact long distance friends, you can post fun random crazy photos and videos and its a way of recording your life (its like a digital life journal). I hope this editorial persuades you to get a Instagram and join the online world of social media.

http://seoservicestore.net/effective-steps-to-reach-the-

instagram-popular-page/

INSTAGRAM And why you should use it

Hanna Gilmore Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:33 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Smart devices: Do we really need them?By Keith Choa 29 October 2013

I don’t think kids like me really need smart devices. With the education system now, it would be useful to have a computer and a phone, but anything more is quite excessive. You can educate people with other devices, but they can also be abused to do other things. Devices are addictive and can affect your personality if you don’t properly use them.

But, what really is a smart device? A smart device is like an electronic device that you can interact with and can do multiple things like surf the web, listen to music, call people etc. Some examples of smart devices are Smart Phones, MP3 Players, Tablets and Gaming systems.

Spending hours playing games on a computer, isn’t good for you. But, now that we have smart devices we can get on our devices for even longer! These devices are usually used for entertainment (e.g. Games, Social Media, etc.). Games are a big distraction from more important things like Work, Friends and Family.

Modern technology isn’t all that bad, it’s just that we have so much potential in all of our devices that we don't put to good use. For example, if you use Apple products, you could upload your files to the “cloud” and work on them on them when you can’t access your computer! Also, there are lots of applications in the app store that can help you with your work.

What are the consequences for having many smart devices? Well, if you have many smart devices, you become more impatient, expect more from people and they can even make you more introverted. People become impatient because of the speed of the devices. The more advanced the processor, the faster the devices get. People aren’t as fast as processors, if you get used to the quick processor speed, you’ll get annoyed with how slow people are. The device can give you almost everything you want in a matter of seconds. People can’t. If you have a device and you want something, you just press some buttons and you have it! In real life, you have to save up the money/make it yourself and that takes time which also has to do with impatience. Also, if you spend all your time playing games, you won’t spend much time being social, therefore you might forget how to be social.

Kids don't really need smart devices. Having just one computer is just fine, as long as you don't spend hours on it playing games. There are lots of distractions that can stop you from working if you have a device like games and social media, but there are also lots of good things that can help you work. It all depends on what you, or your parents, choose.

Keith Choa Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:28:20 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Photograph Citations

ASUS Logo http://www.asus.com

DELL Logo http://www.dell.com/

Toshiba Logo http://www.toshiba.com/

Lenovo Logo http://www.lenovo.com/

Marvell Logo http://www.marvell.com/

Acer Logo http://www.acer.com/

Google Logo http://www.google.com/

Cisco Logo http://www.cisco.com/

Amazon Logo http://www.amazon.com/

Verizon Logo http://www.verizon.com/

Microsoft Logo http://www.microsoft.com/

Sony Logo http://www.sony.com/

Apple Logo http://www.apple.com/

Nokia Logo http://www.nokia.com/

LG Logo http://www.lg.com/

HTC Logo http://www.htc.com

Samsung Logo http://www.samsung.com

PSP Logo http://www.psp.com/

BlackBerry Logo http://www.blackberry.com/

Motorola Logo http://www.motorola.com/

Child holding phone http://cdni.wired.co.uk/620x413/g_j/Image1_4.jpg

Processor http://ak1.ostkcdn.com/images/products/etilize/images/250/1023553969.jpg

Keith Choa Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:28:20 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

[1]

LOREM ORCI

“The unity of freedom has never relied on uniformity of opinion”- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“Liberty is the only thing you can’t have unless you give it to others”- William Allen

School Uniforms: Are they worth it?By: Tommaso

Salvatori

Most parents think that a school is no good without a school uniform. This probably leads to uniforms being mandatory in most schools around the world. But the question hasn’t been asked to students and what they think. If kids were actually given a chance to speak, the majority would probably want the school uniform eliminated, and the interviews I conducted have supported this idea. Even though most of students interviewed wanted the school uniform canceled, they had also pointed out the disadvantages that this decision would carry, and how it would affect school learning.

When asked about the possibility to remove the school uniform policy, the majority of the interviewees were in favor: out of the eight students interviewed, six stated that they would rather wear their own clothing if they were given the opportunity. We all enjoy the variety of our clothing, and disappointingly enough, there is not much to choose from when you open your drawer to pull out your school uniform! Some explained that it would be more appealing to have a pile of clothing to pick from. Most of them noted that they would feel more comfortable in their own clothing. Freedom to express your personality also comes with no school uniforms. Few also pointed out that expenses would be diminished as parents wouldn’t have to constantly by the school uniforms for their children, as the teenagers rapidly outgrow them..

When asked about the consequences, though, all of the students highlighted the

negative side that the elimination of the school uniform would bring: the students said that it would create problems related to bullying and peer pressure. Major discussions would be entered with the parents as to why their kids are coming home saying that they want expensive clothing that their friends all have. As you may all know, bullying is a huge problem in our society, and it can be done in many forms; judging other peoples’ clothing style or teasing and mocking them are just some examples. It can be a very serious problem and students bullied because of what they wear, continuously ask their parents to buy expensive new clothing that goes with the trend to ‘fit in’. Even with that, most of the time bullying doesn’t stop. Nobody likes to be thought as ‘out of fashion’, so kids usually come home begging their parents for new clothing. Sometimes parents can’t afford those items, and so they either work day and night to provide the trendy leather jacket, or ‘Jordan Air shoes’ for them so that the kids could be part of the group or their kids are left aside.

HKA has done a great job in keeping the uniform simple and comfortable, unlike many other schools. But the topic on the school uniform should be kept open and not only the parents’ point of view should be taken into consideration. From my interviews, about 75% of the students wanted to cancel the school uniform. In my opinion, the school uniform should be eliminated because lets you express your personality and allows more freedom in a variety of ways.

29 October 2013

Image Citations:http://www.polk-fl.net/parents/generalinformation/dresscode.htm

http://www.sanandres.esc.edu.ar/olivosp/extranet2007/6to/Googledocs/Casualclothes6Coliver/We_should_bring_casual_.html

http://www.mibba.com/Articles/People/5382/Uniformity-in-the-Schoolyard/

Tommaso Salvatori Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:34:02 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Work smarter, not harder... and enjoy a three day break!By: Casey Groff29 October 2013

Don’t you want to have time to just relax at the end of the week? Yes, we have the

weekend, but we still have to do our homework and other sports activities during that

two-day break. When do you have just one day to completely relax other than holidays?

Never. If we had three day weekends every week, we would have time to do our

homework, do other activities and relax.

We have five days of hard work, then just two days of break. That doesn’t really

seem fair, right? Even if we did have a three day weekend, it wouldn’t be equal, but five

days of break every week would probably be too much of a break. Georgia Williams, age

12, says “if there were three day weekends, I would have more time to relax and spend

time with my family.” I know that I can’t do those things because I have school work

and other activities to do. We don’t have much time during the weekend, when all you

want to do is rest from the week before. We could spend the extra time just getting all

of our work done and not worrying about not getting things done. I know that I have at

least three subjects of homework every weekend. Which doesn’t sound like very much,

but it is if you have a bunch of other activities going on. It could also give you more

time to catch up on work that you have missed during the weekdays, which would make

you less stressed about getting things done in only two short days.

The weekend is a time to have fun and have a break from work. Still, we couldn’t have

a life with no work because then we wouldn’t get anywhere. Obviously, we still have

homework from the week, and we need to get it done. But when do we have time to do

our homework, other activities and have fun, all in two days? Shane Mckinney, a teacher

Casey Groff Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:07 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

at Hong Kong Academy, says “I would love to have a three day weekend! I would have

one day for myself, one day working and maybe another day having a get-together with

some friends” With one extra day, he would be able to do all of those things. I think

that is the perfect way to spend a three day weekend because that way, you can spend

one day doing some physical activity or just relaxing and having a day for yourself. You

can spend another day catching up with work or doing some other homework that you

need to get done and still have time to hang out with your friends and have fun.

Another reason we should have three day weekends is economy. Just think about all the

areas of the economy that would benefit if the weekend was longer. Definitely shopping

malls. If people had one extra day to do anything they wanted, I know that most typical

teenagers would go to the mall. It wouldn’t only be teenagers, though. Parents who

didn’t have enough time to go grocery shopping during the week is another example.

Tons of people that, most likely, didn’t have enough time to go shopping during the

week, would have another extra day to buy all of the things they need. I love going to

the mall with my friends and buying new clothes, it’s what a lot of teenagers love to do.

Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to go because of school and sports. If we had

another day, than we could spend the whole time just shopping at Abercrombie & Fitch

and Hollister. Again, this could be a life saver to adults with full-time jobs. They could

just have one day to catch up on their work, while not worrying about having to buy new

groceries because they have a whole extra day for that.

Overall, three day weekends would give us time to spend more time with our friends and

family, they would eliminate stress and make our schedule more fair. Although some

people think that three day weekends would take away school hours, but I think that it

would still be better to have them because maybe we could work out having more school

hours or extending the school year.

Casey Groff Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:07 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

“Ka ching” goes the cash register. Women love this sound. Females go shopping for many reasons. Ladies love to shop because it fulfills personal enjoyment, sparks social activity, and has endless possibilities. But what do men think about women’s obsession with shopping? Men may wonder, “Do they really need that dress or do they want that dress?” With an obsession of shopping, do females have an endless wallet? Most importantly why do women shop so often? These opinions vary in the minds of men and women.

Women’s Obsession of Shopping (PRO)

Women’s Obsession of Shopping (CON)

Women love to shop because they love the experience, they love shopping with friends, and shopping has endless options! Hobbies range from spending time with friends, collecting stamps, to exercising and shopping. Shopping is a hobbie every female enjoys. For example, Emilia Dolling who is in 7th grade at HKA says “I enjoy shopping because I like walking around the streets and seeing all the commotion. The buzz of people and all the stores just makes the experience just that much more alive.” Most females love the touch of the clothes. The way the workers at the store try to help you have a successful shopping spree. “I enjoy trying on clothes and looking at loads of nice clothes”, says Georgia Williams 7th grade of HKA. When shopping you get the opportunity to touch the ruffles, pleats, and silkiness of the clothes. Shopping can be a blast of excitement but what makes the experience even better? ! Every girl needs shopping but one item that pares perfectly with shopping is friends! Shopping sparks social activity. Every girl has drama in her life but the perfect time to discuss that drama is while you’re shopping. Women love to shop with friends because they need that extra opinion. Norma Thomas says “I love to shop with friends and family because sometimes I just can’t make up my mind and I need that 2nd opinion!” Sometimes having that extra opinion can be the deal sealer or deal breaker for any type of clothing! Friends provide that reassurance that every lady needs to make sure that piece of clothing is perfect! ! Most importantly shopping has endless options! Whether you’re shopping for clothes, shoes, or accessories shopping provides endless possibilities. Shopping can vary from purchasing clothes to window shopping. If you’re unfamiliar with the term window shopping it means to look at the articles of clothing in the windows without making any purchases. “I love having options and exploring ever corner and nook of the store. You never know what you’ll find without looking around,” says Pamela Rupper. Think how boring the fashion industry would be if each store only had one shirt, pant, skirt, and dress to offer. Having all these options to choose from makes shopping exciting! What women wouldn’t love shopping?

On the other side of the spectrum what do men think about women’s obsession of shopping? They might wonder about females’ needs vs. wants, their budget, and most importantly the amount of time women spend shopping. As my father would say to me while we were shopping “Emily, do you really need that or do you want it?”. This same council runs in the mind’s of many men. Ms. Ding said “I start with a target but I end up buying more and adding more things to the pile.” While this is the women’s point of view how do men shop? “I absolutely hate shopping. When I shop I get what I want and get out of there as soon as possible.” said Mr. Marchione. You can surely tell the difference of point of view’s between male and females. ! Shopping has three levels of ways to price an item - cheap, affordable, or expensive. How would you rate your shopping budget? Most men care about the quality of their clothes and some just get what they need whether cheap or affordable. David Rupper said, “If I buy clothes I look for it to be affordable and get what I need.” We all know that shopping isn’t always cheap. Gucci, Prada, and Burberry are all examples of stores that don’t end up with a cheap receipt! Some men think, that women spend loads of money on their shopping spree. “I always plan a budget when I go shopping,” said Ms. Ding. The exciting part of shopping is finding those affordable clothes (that you LOVE) that just makes you want to get up and dance! ! Shopping is like a chocolate chip cookie. When you first bite into a chocolate chip cookie immediately you taste that ooey goey chocolate goodness. The best part is that deliciousness never stops! The great taste is consistent throughout the whole cookie! Just like shopping! Any lady likes a scrumptious cookie and when you eat one you must eat more! Some men may think women shop a lot. “I shop once a week but I go very often during the weekend,” said Emilia Dolling. Justin Rupper said,”I shop maybe for every season but never once a week! What’s the purpose to shop once a week?” Most men think there is no reason at all to shop every week. Do women have an obsession of shopping?

Are women obsessed with shopping?By: Emily Rupper29 October 2013

Emily Rupper Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:30:51 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Shopping.

One word.

One meaning.

Beneficial.

Beneficial for your personal enjoyment, social activity, and full of options. Men might wonder females’ needs vs. wants, their budget, and most importantly the amount of

time women spend shopping. But really shopping is like a chocolate chip cookie. The taste never disappoints and you finish wanting more!

http://sainaprintpackgifts.com/Products/Carry-Bags/29/Shopping-Bags

Emily Rupper Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:30:51 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

In my opinion I don’t think George Lucas (creator of Star Wars) should have sold Star Wars and Lucas Arts to Disney.I think he made a mistake doing that, but as every should know no one is perfect and that you learn from mistakes.I interviewed some people and I asked them several question.I got an interesting answer that was why George sold it.A few of the answers were Maybe he was getting to old and wanted to sell it to Disney for more money,but in my opinion I doubt it since he is already very rich.Another answer was he wants other people to express their own ideas.I agree with the second answer but not that much,because there are a few factors to think about if Disney has cancelled a lot of Star wars cartoons and toys,Disney would have earned millions of dollars.Now Disney has missed that chance unless they put those products back in stock,For example DVDs,toys and probably collectables.Another question is I asked was will it turn into a boring musical,one interesting answer was i doubt it, I just hope it won’t turn into the picture on the corner or the picture at the bottom,Another answer was, if it does turn into a musical then it would be super boring.As a very dedicated Star wars fan myself I would hate for it to turn into something like that,after seeing someone start singing I would go out the cinema and just say refund this ticket please.Would you do that if it turned into something that horrible I know i would hate Disney for life,if that ever happens that is.Another question was will the movie be very boring? In my opinion only I hope not here are a few answers probably not and yes I wouldn’t like the new movies though I do agree with the second answer. Even if it doesn’t turn into a musical its a different director thats directing.So it should be a lot different from the old one.The only reason I had this musical was because I had a dream and I watched a youtube video about that, and the next night I had a different dream but it was still the same topic

This is the last question and it is Do you think Disney will produce a good Star Wars film.One of the answers I disagree with a lot is yes,Disney is awesome,I don’t think Disney is awesome because they cancelled toys,DVDs and clothes I can barley find those types of products any more.In the end my opinion is I wish George Lucas would Buy Star Wars and Lucas Arts back. So it would still be his ideas and characters, and also no musicals, fantastic, what is your opinion for George selling Star Wars and Lucas Arts to Disney?

Lets hope Star wars won’t turn into these two pictures.

http://www.blastr.com/2013-3-14/1st-disney-star-wars-poster-isnt-exactly-what-we-were-expecting

http://blog.cmdstore.com/category/disney/

http://www.themovies.co.za/2013/04/18/get-ready-for-a-whole-lot-of-

George Lucas gave up directing Star Wars? By:Alvin Liu

29 October 2013

websites used for pictures

Alvin Liu Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:28:30 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

2 9 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 3

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This is KorraHere are a Few facts about this character:

Name: KorraGender: FemaleAge: 17Origins: Southern Water TribeProfession: Avatar

Personality: Tomboyish, independent, and loyal

Abilities: Martial arts, Water bending, Fire Bending, Earth Bending, Air bending and energy bending(when you can take or restore another bending ability)

LEGEND OF KORRA AN AMAZING ANIME OR TERRIBLE ANIME?

B y : N a t a s h a

5 Reasons why you should watch this Anime :

1) It’s an ANIME!If you like Anime you would love this show and also it’s in English. Which will be much easier to understand. This is why I love this series. Anime, as you may not know, is Japanese style cartoons (e.g Naruto, Pokemon, death note, etc). The show is influenced by Asian cultures.

2) Good Use In Drama:The show amazingly has a good perspective and very good plot twists. In Book 1 (Air Bending) This season is about non benders against benders. The person who started it was Amon. Personally this was/is the best season EVER!

3) Always Ends In A CliffHanger:The show always ends with a cliff hanger. It always makes you want to watch more! It makes you go crazy if you turn into a crazy fan girl or boy. With the Cliffhangers it will give you ideas to make fan stories. Almost every fan of LOK (Which stands for Legend Of Korra) will make one. You can find them on Instagram.

4) The Writers Are Really Smart:They are so smart that it’s like they can read your mind. They make you expect the unexpected. There are two writers and creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzo. They both have a good sense of creativity (eg. Lion turtle).

5) Animals are Hybrids:Most animals in LOK are hybrids from polar bear dogs, and wolf bats to platypus bears and buzzard wasps. The creators make very good hybrids. My favorite is the Lion turtle (hunted to extinction). I immensely love how the writers make every animal different from reality.

Bending: Is a gift or ability to manipulate 4 basic elements Earth, Air, Water and fire. Most

people can bend only one element but the Avatar can bend all four. The avatar can

also bend energy, this ability deals with the energy inside the human body. Each

element has a special subelement like for bending its metal, blood (illegal in the world

of avatar) , lightning, etc.

from:http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/08/the-legend-of-korra-book-one-air-blu-ray-review

image from: http://www.tubeplus.me/info/1667616/The_Legend_of_Korra/

These people were

the past Avatars

Natasha Lui Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:04 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

2 9 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 3

2

LEGEND OF KORRA

5 Reasons You Shouldn’t:

1) The show is a bit too rushed:The feature I don’t like is that the storyline is too rushed. It is like they are trying to stuff a whole season in 20 minutes (average Korra episode). I do not enjoy that in one part something bad is happening then in 5 minutes and then POOF! The troubles are gone all of a sudden. But you have to agree that Makorra (Shipping name for Mako & Korra) wasn’t rushed! But the cliff hangers are nice touches though.

2) Not as great as ATLA:Based on my the person I interviewed: The show is not as good. I think it is not as good because no one is chasing them like Prince Zuko. There is no Prince or Princess from fire nation, earth kingdom, air temples and water tribes determined about regaining their honor. Also, I don’t like how there isn’t that much adventure in the show. By this I mean by 5 minute

3) They don’t really get in depth with the extinct/endangered animals (eg. dragons, lion turtle):I actually wanted the show to get more coverage on the extinct animals on ATLA & LOK. I don’t like how they mention an animal and it’s like its done. I would enjoy if they explained the lion turtle better, besides letting the Avatards going on the Avatar Wiki to read about it. Dragons, Dragons, Dragons... The thing I don’t like is they are not answering this: “Are Ran & Shaw still alive?” Ran & Shaw are dragons that taught Aang and Zuko how to fire bend without fueling the power with rage.

4) Explain the Fire Nation Royal Family better:I really want to know more about the Fire Nation Royal family. The fans are curious yet we are not hearing anything about General Iroh’s Grandfather (Zuko) and his mother. I am so keen to know about life in the Fire Nation. I do not enjoy having to wait, its NOT FUN. I want to see what the current Fire Lord looks like.

5) The don’t really tie up the loose ends:They don’t really explain the loose ends good enough. I t’s making everyone curl up in a corner. But it is upsetting that they mention the same character all the time (eg. Zuko’s daughter) and not show it. If the writers listen to the fans, why don’t they just explain their ideas better.

Screen shot from: http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Fire_Nation_Royal_Family

Natasha Lui Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:04 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

2 2 O c t o b e r , 2 0 1 3

3

LEAKED STORY BOARD!! !

Fire Nation Royal Family Theories: (Totally Random):Due to my prior knowledge, I believe that Zuko’s wife is Mai because even though *SPOILER* she broke up with him, he found a way to get Mai to marry him. If you are wondering how I know this, it is because I saw the leaked story board. I also believe Zuko’s daughter is named after his mother Ursa because Zuko really loved his mother. Zuko wouldn’t call his daughter Azula after his sister because his sister is mental and tried to kill him. I deeply believe that his daughter is a powerful fire bender because, in the royal family you carry a very powerful ability of fire bending (eg. General Iroh the second). Thank you for taking your time to read my editorial. You Too Can Become An Avatard! To start off your journey to the world of Avatards visit to get a better understanding of the show: http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/The_Legend_of_Korra

This is a leaked story board from:http://www.fanpop.com/

clubs/avatar-the-last-airbender/images/30988545/title/zuko-mais-daughter-leaked-storyboard-capture-photo

taken by: http://sarahjohansson.tumblr.com/

BEHOLD����������� ������������������  THE����������� ������������������  CUTEST����������� ������������������  

AVATAR����������� ������������������  PICTURE����������� ������������������  YOU����������� ������������������  

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Natasha Lui Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:04 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

“Amazing Game, Beautiful Graphics, Never Ending Feeling. BEST Game Of The Year”

André F. Lo, Former KGB Officer.

GTA V:WHY IT’S AWESOME

OSKAR TULLBERG GRADE SEVEN MAGAZINE

LOREM ENIMR E A L E S T A T E

GTA V. The #1 metascored game in existence. It has received bad criticism because of its violence, but in reality, it is one of the best games in the world today. The graphics are amazing and the level of detail is astonishing. You could go into an alleyway and see every single piece of trash in a trash can. The attention to the little things too, you could drive up a mountain and see a pair of hikers setting up camp, with tents and all, then packing up and leaving on another hike the day after. The amount of things you could do is also very broad, you could sneak into a government base and steal a fighter jet, or go and drive around, or rob a bank, or a person, and basically do whatever you want. The world of Los Santos is the biggest and most detailed game in GTA history, you could climb a mountain, then go racing through downtown with a Million Dollar Car, then hijack a helicopter from the nearest military airfield. The possibilities are endless. If GTA IV felt like a living city, GTA V is a living world, if you stalk a civilian, you would find that that civilian would do ordinary things, like driving cars around town, then going out and into their apartment. When you drive up a mountain in a ATV, you will see hikers, bikers and boats (in the distance), you

drive out to the beach you will see jet skis on trolleys and in the water.

The thing that most people say is “GTA is rated M, its bad for you”, NOT true, the game is rated M because of swearing (something that we already do) and violence, now, that is a touchy subject, why are we allowed to watch documentaries or movies with war and murders and violence, but not play a game where you can do the same ? We see violence all the time, at home on the TV, at friends houses, news shows, youtube. Violence doesn’t matter any more to us, we are so used to seeing it, that we don’t care.

The game allows you to do whatever you want, making it a fun sandbox game where you can break the law and not care. People stereotype that all games that involve violence as a bad game, the truth is that violent games are just like the movies that are made today, the same things, just that in the game, you can control what the characters do. You won’t go out and shoot a friend, or steal a car, or mug people just because you can do it in the game, in fact, studies show that people who play violent games can think outside the box and have a more vivid imagination than people who don’t play games at all.

Oskar Tullberg Wednesday, 6 November, 2013 8:09:07 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

There are three main characters in GTA V, Michael, a retired bank robber, Franklin, a gangster from downtown Los Santos, and Trevor, a crazed gunman living in the desert, the game allows you to switch between them at any time when not being chased by cops or on a mission (not including ones where you work together). This adds up to some fun gameplay as you can run around shooting everyone as Trevor, then switch to Franklin and do some street racing, then go to Michael and go golfing as a middle-aged person with anger issues.

Each character has his own “special ability”, Michael’s special ability is slow-mo bullet time (similar to Max Payne 3 (if you know what that is)), basically a slow-mo fighting skill. Which leads to some interesting tactics when fighting with him, you can decide to barge in in slow-mo and snipe them or just peek out of cover and own them in slow-mo. Michael is a retired bank robber with anger issues. He lives in an expensive house overlooking the city.

Franklin’s special ability is to slow down time when he is driving a car, giving him 100% grip and steering, this makes him the one to go around and drive expensive cars in, since it is really easy to crash cars in GTA V, Franklin is the optimum character to use when you being chased by cops or doing car chases. Franklin is a gangster who lives in a huge house with a pool, overlooking downtown Los Santos, he is a old colleague of Michael, and he meets him eventually in the game.

Trevor is a gun-crazed, trigger happy, maniac living far out in the desert, his special ability is to deal twice as much damage while taking half as much damage himself. This character is good if you feel like being a maniac.

All the characters are different and diverse, giving the game a feel of freedomness.

“GTA is an amazing series, GTA V, is THE best game out there”N. Oskar Tullberg, Gamer.

Dolor adipiscing: Urna SemperOffice: 123-456-7890Cell: 123-456-7891Email: no_reply@apple.com

The three main protagonists; Michael, Franklin and Trevor

Oskar Tullberg Wednesday, 6 November, 2013 8:09:07 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

GTA: Good or violent?By: Evan Graff29th October 2012

! In my opinion, the video game GTA is very violent. I think it is violent because many people in the game could get killed in a way of bleeding out from many different choices of weapons. Based on the amount of violence in this game, I believe that children should at least be the age of 14. Kids at age 14 should be able to handle the game more responsibly than younger players.

From my interviews, there’s now a fact that GTA has many weapons that could make them very, very violent, such as chainsaws, rifles, rocket launchers, and many more. There are also other really inappropriate things in this game that shall not be said in this article because much younger kids might be reading. This worries me because many kids are learning how to use them to hurt people, who is to say that they won’t actually try to kill somebody in the future. Who is to say that that person won’t go after you. They will even know to prepare themselves with a get away vehicle. Such as a sports car, a motorcycle, or a dirt bike so that they can do stunts to get away.

! There was a kid that used to play GTA vice city, and he now walks like the guy in the game. He also jumps like that person in the game. That could one day be your child.Picture your child all of a sudden playing GTA, then he starts heading to his room, but he is walking like the person in the game, and he is acting like the person in the game, and saying things that the person in the game would say. If you look at the list of questions and answers, you will see that it makes people very addicted and violent, even kids that don’t play it a lot are violent.

From these answers I can tell that even if people haven’t been playing it for even 4 months can still get very addicted, some of these don’t even play for very long every day.

1) Do/Did you play GTA?

Talyn: Yes

Natasha: Yes

Oliver: Yes

Anonymous: Yes

Nicolaus H: Sometimes

Nicolaus S: Yes

2) How long have you been playing it?

Evan Graff Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:09 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Anonymous: A lot

Talyn: 1 year

Natasha: 3 months

Oliver: 2 years

Nicolaus H: 3 years

Nicolaus S: 5 months

3) Would you say that you are violent?

Talyn: Sometimes

Natasha: Really violent

Oliver: Not that violent

Anonymous: Temperamental

Nicolaus H: No

Nicolaus S: Not Really

4) From a scale of 1 to 10, where would you rank this game?

Talyn: 6

Natasha: 10

Oliver: 9

Anonymous: 10

Nicolaus H: 6

Nicolaus S: 5

5) Do you play any other violent games?

Talyn: Yes

Natasha: No

Oliver: Yes

Evan Graff Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:09 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Anonymous: Yes

Nicolaus H: Not Really

NIcolaus S: Not Really

6) Do you kill random people for no reason what so ever in the game?

Talyn: Yes

Natasha: Definitely

Oliver: Sometimes

Anonymous: By accident (cause of terrible driver)

Nicolaus H: Yes

Nicolaus S: Totally

7) How long everyday do you play it?

Talyn: Not often

Natasha: Half an hour

Oliver: twice a week 2 hours a day.

Anonymous: Half an hour

Nicolaus H: 10 minutes

Nicolaus S: 2 hours or lower a week

8) Do you have any concerns about this game, if so, what are they.?

Talyn: Yes, it will make them more violent.

Natasha: Makes people swear a lot and made people violent.

Oliver: Yes, I think that some people could be influence.

Anonymous: No

Nicolaus H: Inappropriate

Nicolaus S: Yes, it is pretty violent.

From some of these answers I can know tell two things.

Evan Graff Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:09 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

This game is not very influential on some kids.

! ! ! &

Some people share the same concern I do.

! So, as you can see from these answers, these kids are becoming more and more violent every time they play this game. But from Natasha’s answer on number 3 and the reaction she gave while answering it I worry we might need to keep an eye on her. But, if you don’t do anything sometime, you will have to lock your self up. From all of these answers, you will see that it won’t take long until you soon want an AK47, so do something for goodness-sake. Even people that used to play it are still violent, so for goodness-sake, don’t just quit. You need to quit from where it counts!! Make yourself quit by threatening to do something you/you’re child doesn’t like to do, make sure you do something that you loath to make sure that you don’t play it again. However, if you are as violent as you were before before you started playing the game, there is nothing that you could do, the only other thing that I would recommend is to take anger management class until you calm the heck down.

Thank you for reading.

Evan Graff Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:09 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Sai Kung Welcomes HKA

By James Hall

HKA’s philosophy is to be a Small School with Big Ideas.Stephen Dare, the head of school had this to say about the new

campus, “We firmly believe that the very best way to get a feel for HKA is to visit our campus, meet our students and faculty, and get to

know us. We think you'll be glad that you did.” The new HKA(Hong Kong Academy) campus which opened in August 2013, has amazed a lot of students, teachers and parents. HKA started in year 2000, and has grown in size and reputation. The new 20,000 meter squared campus has cost an estimated $455M. The information leaflet published by HKA said the new campus will include:

·•Fully-equipped science labs·•Extensive visual and performing arts practice and performance spaces as well as 300+ seats auditorium·•Advanced technology for teaching at all ages and skill levels·•a two-story modern library space·•a 700+ seat gymnasium, indoor and outdoor athletics facilities ·•Handicapped accessible facilities ·•Expanded learner support facilities including a life skill area

October 29th, 2013

The school has firmly thought through the new campus construction by using environmentally and sustainable materials. For example, the new campus has sensor-controlled windows that enable shutdown of the AC system and rainwater recycling.

Environ

men

t

James Ryuji Hall Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:57:12 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

What is more, HKA is not only sophisticated on the outside but they also put a lot of thought into the classroom spaces. First of all, there are SMART boards and short throw projectors in every classroom. The students have to sit on ergonomically designed chairs to straighten your back and improve posture. There is also a technology portal featuring 3D printer, 20 large screen Macs with a wireless keyboard and mouse.

technology

James Ryuji Hall Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:57:12 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Library

Students and teachers will have a lot to do in the primary and secondary library. For students who need to work in quiet places, the library will be a great place because there are computers, working spaces for online research and access to a wide variety of online resources. For students and teachers who love reading, the library has e-books, audio books, and multimedia resources in addition to print collections that are spaced across two floors with an internal staircase.

Music

Musicians and performers will love HKA. To help beginner level musicians, there are general music instructions, instrumental instructions for grade 4+, choral music and special needs and a leaner support music curriculum. There are also a lot of practice spaces for musicians including 3 practice rooms, music rehearsal rooms, a keyboard lab and high-level sound dampening and noise-isolation materials.

Performing ARTS

Not only the musicians but the actors and actress will also have performance space. There is a 350-seater multipurpose auditorium, 64-seat black box theater, professional-grade sound system, theater-quality lighting system including flood lights, ground rows with spot lights, sustainable materials for interior decoration, and dance and drama practice space.

Visual Arts Additionally, students who love drawing, painting, designing, etc, can create and share art at HKA. There are a lot of resources for visual arts including film, photography and design technology workshops with work spaces and equipment for painting, drawing and multi-media. Unlike other schools in Hong Kong, HKA has ceramics equipment and a kiln and outdoor art court for creating and displaying art.

Staff

“Staff in HKA are recruited from all around the world with skills, experience and future potential... All lead teachers at HKA hold education degrees... More than 60% hold graduate degrees... with many are engaged in future study and 80% holding teaching degrees and teaching certification.”

-http://www.hkacademy.edu.hk/page.cfm?p=371

James Ryuji Hall Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:57:12 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

After School Activity

Students who want have more classes in HKA can joins extra-curricular activities. Throughout the school year, students have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of clubs and teams after school. In the primary school, there is yoga, board games, knitting, gardening, soccer, tennis, rollerblading, and Chinese calligraphy. For middle and high school students, most activities will be part of the ACAMIS tournaments. For example, they can compete in volleyball, basketball and soccer. There are also other activities such as Model United Nations, debate, visual and performing arts, chess, math olympiad, scuba diving and parkour.

“HKA is committed to maintaining a diverse, collaborative and captivating learning environment in which students become adaptable, confident and tolerant, equipping them for the future.”

Contact HKA

Main Office: (852) 2655 1111Email: office@hkacademy.edu.hk (for general enquiries) Admissions: (852) 2655 1293 Email: angela.reilly@hkacademy.edu.hk Early Childhood/Primary School: (852) 2655 1273Email: angie.law@hkacademy.edu.hk Secondary School: (852) 2655 1275Email: anita.yiu@hkacademy.edu.hk

Links to images:

http://www.hkacademy.edu.hk/

http://www.watercache.com/images/education/rainwater-collection.jpg

http://www.highsnobiety.com/files/2012/10/2013-imac-27-inch.jpg

http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Apple-Logo-apple-41156_1024_768.jpg

http://manaelf.com/projects/IMG_1647.JPG

http://blog.unispain.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/music4.png

http://www.mountmadonnaschool.org/system/files/images/PerformingArts.jpgWhy wait? Be a part of HKA!

www.hkacademy.edu.hkJames Ryuji Hall Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:57:12 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Sports Facilities delay causes uproar in HKA

By: Bianca De Leon29 October 2013

Hong Kong Academy is finally settling after the big move from Kennedy Town

to Sai Kung. New students, new classrooms, new teachers, but the biggest thing is, a new environment. In Sai Kung HKA

has a huge campus with a brand new

soccer pitch and gymnasium that can

hold 3 basketball courts, 3 volleyball courts, 6 badminton courts, and 3

netball courts. But as we all know, the sports facilities have not been

open and the students are all asking, why? This question is clouding

students minds and buzzing through

Hong Kong Academy’s hallways and

has been answered with “I heard...” and “Somebody told me that..”, but this article

will give you some reasons as to why there was a delay and how this delay has been

affecting our school’s athletic programs.

Currently, the gymnasium and soccer pitch have been delayed for 2 months since the beginning of the school year, according to Mr. Aaron Cook, our new

Athletic Director. Over the 2 months, there have been about 2 big delays for the

gym. The first delay was because the inside of the gym wasn’t fully built, so the

HKA staff was informed that it would be ready by the end of September or the

beginning of October. By that time the gym’s interior was finished, however that is when the second delay occurred. This happened because of the lacquer coating on

the gym floor. The coating that the workers put on originally, had trouble settling

on the floor and had to be redone. This has been the problem until now. But luckily

the coating was settled by the time we came back from Mid-Term Break. Mr. Aaron

Cook says “I know that there has been a delay, but the facilities that we have will be

first class in terms of our gymnasium, our football pitch, and our basketball court. If we had to look at the negative, the only thing would be is that it has taken a little

bit longer than expected and with saying that, the P.E. staff is flexible enough to

deal with the delay and have catered their programs to work around this problem.” Despite this problem, this proves our HKA P.E. staff and students are flexible, creative and can overcome any challenge brought on by any circumstance.

All Photos By: Mr. Christian Cook

Bianca De Leon Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:04 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

“It’s a logistical nightmare,” Mr. Christian Cook, Secondary School P.E.

teacher, says referring to the delays. Mr. Christian Cook has been in HKA for 4 years and knows how it is to not have our own facilities, especially in Kennedy Town. So

even though the facilities are taking

longer than expected, he knows that when the gym is finally open, everything will turn out great. Because of the delay, all P.E. teachers had to change the order of the

different units they were teaching to

fit the gym/pitch’s opening

schedule. Swimming was both the

Primary School and Secondary

School’s first unit in P.E. and both

sections of the school had to share

the pool. In the morning P.E. lessons, the Secondary School would book the pool, but in the afternoon lessons, the

teachers would have to think of something to do in an outside facility.

Unfortunately, the outside facilities are public and sometimes can be occupied, meaning that the teachers would have to find somewhere else to play on the spot. “You can see what we are going to get, but it’s just like teasing us, you put it (the

gymnasium) in front of us, it looks ready, but we just can’t use it” Mr. Hand, another Secondary School P.E. teacher says while looking out at the gym through

his office window.

Hong Kong Academy participates in 2 big tournaments. The SCISAC

tournament for the Middle-School and the ACAMIS tournament for the High School. This tournament requires several kids on a boys and girls team to travel and

compete in a 4 day tournament for either soccer, volleyball, or basketball. Because

of the delay, coaches have not been able to start practices as early as the coaches intended to or have set places to train on. This gives the players trying-out for the

team less time to practice before the cuts and the people who are traveling less time to practice before flying out to China or taking a ferry to Macau. Mr. Saleem, SCISAC and ACAMIS coach for soccer, optimistically says “The delay has actually

helped us because it has taught us to be flexible but, we just haven’t had a lot of ‘team time’ and that was more of a concern then the lack of facilities.” But all of the

coaches agree that even though the facilities are taking longer than expected, this is not the worst that they have dealt with coming from Kennedy Town, and when

everything is ready everything will be fantastic.

All Photos By: Mr. Christian Cook

Bianca De Leon Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:04 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

But that is now the past. The new question is, what are we going to do now

that everything is finished? As of October 3rd, Mr. Musco officially opened the

soccer pitch to the students in

Secondary School to play on during their recess time after lunch. He came up

with a system so that each grade would

get a turn at the pitch during the course

of the week. In terms of Physical Education, the teachers will embrace the

new amount of space that has been

given to them and hope to incorporate

new P.E. units like track and field. One

of the things that the P.E. teachers would also like to work on is the student to teacher ratio in class. With the bigger space, people could do more activities in smaller groups of people and there would

be more one on one time with the teacher like in a regular classroom environment.

Things are also looking up for the coaches. Currently, ACAMIS volleyball players are training on the new, proper volleyball courts. In addition, now that we

have our own gymnasium we are

able to host SCISAC and ACAMIS

tournaments on our own campus. The first ACAMIS tournament to be

hosted in HKA will be in February

for basketball. Along with the 2

major tournaments, HKA can also

host local league games for sports like volleyball and basketball. On

October 22nd and October 24th, HKA was actually able to host games in the ISSFHK volleyball league for the under 14 girls and the under 20 boys. Students from across all of the

grade levels are excited to finally be using these facilities and are looking forward

to using them for the rest of their time in HKA.

Hong Kong Academy has been kept at the edge of their seats hoping and

praying that the sports facilities will be opened soon. Now that the sports grounds are finally open to the school community, a great weight has been lifted off of their shoulders. And like the saying goes “Good things come to those who wait.” Hong

Kong Academy has been definitely waiting and surely, good things did come.

All Photos By: Mr. Christian Cook

Bianca De Leon Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:04 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

HKA brings in new vending machinesBy: Talyn Xystus29th October 2013! The new vending machines at HKA changed the day at school. Before, most kids would just sit down and have something to eat during the break. They can get food from the vending machine the same way they get their lunch food, with their octopus card. Mr.Musco, the Secondary School Principal ordered these machines from the company Health Addition. There are two machines, one on each end of the second floor. These were installed near the beginning of the school year, but not right when school started.

! The vending machines were ordered to help kids get food in case they didn’t get enough snack, then they could buy it. The school wants to encourage students to eat healthy, so it is a healthy vending machine that was ordered for kids to get something enjoyable and healthy. Alvin, a 7th grader says “I only think that the top half is mostly healthy and the bottom is not healthy.

There are many different things in the vending machine. Most of the things in there have two to three slots for each item. The prices range from 10 HKD to 15 HKD. There is soda water, apple juice, sparking juices, and even chips. The strawberry nuggets are the most popular item as they are always gone first. The least popular thing is the apple and apple and cranberry puree as it is the last thing in the vending machine. The machines get restocked every monday around fourth period. Oskar, a 7th grader says “I think having

the vending machine fill up once a week is fine”. Some high school students complain that the middle schoolers come over to their venting machine and buy all the good stuff from it because the middle schoolers finished their own vending machine.

Photos By: Talyn Xystus

Talyn Xystus Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:55:03 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Do have have cravings for cafeteria food? Does it make your stomach rumble, just by having the slightest thought about it? Recently, Hong Kong Academy (HKA), has opened up a new campus in Sai Kung, with a newly discovered cafeteria. In previous years, HKA has had tuck shops. If you don’t know what a tuck shop is, its a little shack where a lady or a man will sell food. There were to many complaints that kids were being served food that made them want to be sick. Rachel Chan from seventh grade explained, “Last year the food was disgusting, I wasn’t impressed, the food has improved so much since then.” Thankfully within time, HKA has improved in this area. Now we have an exceptional and a inordinate sized cafeteria, with proper chairs, and we’re not having to eat in a room where sweaty kids have just been running around in. Everyday, there are three options to order. Usually, two of those lunch options are healthy, but the third option is not as healthy as it could be. Because of this conclusions have been made by seventh graders who attend this school, that the food from our new cafeteria is quite un-healthy. Emily Rupper explained, “I believe that the food is tasty, but the meat doesn’t appeal to me, I feel they have a poor choice of meats to offer.” As I was interviewing my other peers, I noticed Another one of my classmates, Clare Clayton from seventh grade told me, “Through out the corse of the school year the food is getting better as the cafeteria continues to grow and improve, but that is no excuse for the amount of fats that we are being served at HKA.” Is this what HKA desires to stand for? Even though the cafeteria hands out three options for food, is this is enough? If a kid doesn’t like what is served, what will they eat? Bianca DeLeon from seventh grade mentioned, “Some times the food doesn’t look that good so then I take a sandwich. Sadly, the meat is stiff and very chewy, so for the rest of the day I’m so I’m really hungry.” Honestly, there should me more choices, for people who might be picky. Additionally, pizza is served a lot! What about more variety? Wouldn’t that satisfy the Hong Kong Academy community? If there is a bit more difference in the food, there, most likely, will be more costumers because they are more interested in what the cafeteria has to offer. Which would make more profit.

Cafeteria food at HKA: good or bad?

By: Emilia Dolling29th October 2013

Emilia Dolling Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:30:29 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

At the start of the year we had a massive problem with how long the line-up was to receive your food. Ms. Li, one of the middle school mandarin teachers, spoke

about, “I fully understand that the school is still developing, but during the first two weeks of school it almost took thirty minutes just to collect my food.”HKA is growing, more and more students are attending HKA and order from the cafeteria, which does mean that the lines with get bigger. Furthermore, Zoe Forino from seventh grade stated, “Maybe the school could consider having three cashier’s so then the wait isn’t as long.” This is a great suggestion because nobody wants to have to stand in queue for thirty minutes, this is just extremely unreasonable. Overall, the cafeteria is still a work in progress, hopefully over

the years the cafeteria will start to develop and improve so that we can enjoy healthy foods. People are always buzzing around our school, and it can get crowded but I think we need to give everyone a few weeks to settle in. Although it would be nice to see some more variety, less fattening foods/more healthy options and have the lining up system figured out.

Photographs by: Emilia Dolling

Cafeteria food at HKA: good or bad?

By: Emilia Dolling29th October 2013

Emilia Dolling Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:30:29 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

By: Anna Loretan! Uniforms are classified as particular clothing worn by members of a school or organization. Most private schools in Asia have uniforms, and our school is no exception. H.K.A. has had uniforms for it’s students from the time of its founding in 2000. Ever since then all students, teachers, and parents have lived with the effects of uniforms. Some like the school’s current uniform, but some are far less content. In this editorial we will explore the possible purposes, assets, and drawbacks of the long standing H.K.A. uniform.

! The first reason for uniforms in H.K.A is that they are beneficial to the school. Apart from the fact they classify students to H.K.A, they reduce distractions and make everything look neater. Teachers don’t want to deal with people ogling each other’s clothing instead of focusing on their school work. If people all wear the same thing, it isn't interesting or distracting to students who need to work. It’s also nice that no one looks superior to anyone else, because uniforms eliminate the prospect of kids being bullied for their clothing. No one wants to feel unsafe in their own school and uniforms are one step to making everyone feel accepted.

! Another good thing about the H.K.A. uniforms is that they are easy. Instead of deciding what to wear the night before (which many kids find themselves doing) students can simply pull on their uniform in the morning, therefore eliminating most stress and leaving more time for recreational activities in the afternoon. Also, it is simpler to buy all of your clothing at one place, and the uniform shop sells everything you need. Parents are generally relieved to be able to do all of the back-to-school shopping without the fuss of going from shop to shop to find everything you need. The uniforms are quite comfortable compared to most of the clothing sold for kids in most shops, and they aren’t hard to wash. In short, uniforms are far less demanding than regular clothes.

! Even with all the assets to our uniforms many students seem ill-disposed to them. It has been updated several times in the past years but most kids still don't like the way it looks and feels. Students feel that it limits there originality and looks far to plain. A number of them don’t feel very comfortable with the lack of opacity in the shirt. Even the students who don’t mind there uniforms would prefer it to look different, or would like to have more options to choose from. Also, some people find that it is harder to move around in this uniform than many of the clothes they would normally wear. The skirts are hard to move in and the shorts aren't very flexible. The students are definitely not entirely content with the current uniforms.! So now that you have read this article: What do you think? Are the current H.K.A. uniforms up to snuff, or is a major change needed? Do you agree with the concept of uniforms, or do you think we should get rid of them all together? Are the students just complaining, or is there something to what they’re saying? In my opinion there will always be things that people like and dislike about the H.K.A. uniform and things that are great. No matter how many times it is edited and

HKA UNIFORMS: INEXPRESSIBLE CONNIVENCE OR UNDENIABLE DRAW BACK?

1Anna Loretan Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:47 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

updated, it would be impossible to please every student, even if we were allowed to pick the uniform ourselves. While there is clear merit to the H.K.A. uniforms, there will always be people who are firmly against it.

Image from:http://www.hkacademy.edu.hk/

Introduction to Conversational French

Anna Loretan Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:47 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Are classrooms the right place to work?

By: Georgia Williams29 October 2013

For some people, it can be good to work outside of a classroom. It gives them “room to think” and “takes off pressure as there’s no teacher”. So, as you can probably imagine, it is fairly frustrating when a teacher refuses to let you work outside of the set classroom. But then again, do you really think a student works

more efficiently with no teacher around? Yes, it might be fun to have a laugh with your friends during class but there is a thing called being off-topic and most people have admitted that they need a teacher in the room in order to focus. From personal experience, I know that when I’m working with some friends somewhere different, it usually ends up a little crazy.

However, there are times when working in a different area can have a good impact on the quality of your work since you are not stuck in a loud classroom and you have a change of scenery which can be refreshing and wake you up. Something that rarely happens is students being able to individually work somewhere else. This is unfortunate as students could really benefit from doing their independent work some place quieter as it makes it easier for them to focus. I know this because our grade is one of the loudest grades in the school and I have heard many people complaining about how they can’t think straight, resulting in less work and more chit-chat. Also, if a student has a project to work on, or something involving extra space, it can be quite restricting having to share a table with one or more people when you’re trying to maybe make a poster or a model. What about when you’re doing a project with a group of people that you don’t know as well or with people who you simply can’t work with? This situation is tricky because you might really want to do a good job on a project but a person or persons are stopping you from doing that. But, this can be prevented if

Georgia Williams Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:28:37 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

a teacher is monitoring the group which is why leaving the classroom and working outside is not the best idea. Working outside with a group of people you don’t know as well can make things go quite awkward because you don’t really know what to say. With a teacher in the room you know that they can help you or assist you in any way to try and make the discussion or project flow easier. “It’s easier with teachers in the room because they help you” - Hanna Gilmore. A negative to maybe working outside a classroom alone is that you don’t have teacher to watch over you so in some ways it’s a good and bad situation. A few people find it hard with no teacher because they either a) distract themselves, or b) need help from the teacher because they like having their support. For students that need more help they might find it a little upsetting that everyone is leaving the classroom to go somewhere else and they’re stuck by themselves. Overall, I think that working outside of classrooms should still be an option to all students but only at times when they have a reasonable reason, not just because they want to hang out with their friends. If a teacher says no then there should also be a good reason why as it’s unfair to students who need a peaceful environment. But, there should definitely be some form of supervision because to this day we have absolutely no supervision which really makes a difference. Which environment do you work best in?

Photos from: http://boredcentral.com/tag/bored-in-class-2/ http://www.emg.vn/vi/tin-tuc/tin-emg-education/140-173/kham-pha-tai-nang-tre-olympiad-

cung-emg-education.aspx

Georgia Williams Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:28:37 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

✓ Pros and Cons ✗ of HKA school uniforms

Yes:HKA Uniforms are a great way to identify which students are in our school community. It shows visitors that are school is neat and tidy. Also it make students feel they are in a close community. Uniforms are a great way to show who is in our school and who is not.

School Uniforms are great because everyone dressed the same so it prevents bullying. Also it creates less stress and no hassle so no one will be late or miss their bus. Its helpful because it minuses conflict and in Asia: almost every school has uniform. It’s also really cool showing that you are representing your school. There will be no trouble for you thinking “will people like the clothes I chose to wear”. Plus it is less of a distraction to teachers and students. It eliminates the need for a large and expensive wardrobe for teenage fashionistas which most parents thank.

In HKA the last friday at the end of each month there is a free dress day which you give money to charity to dress out of school uniform. I personally think this is a good idea, to let kids dress the way the want for one day to help the community in Hong Kong. For example like: Spca, the elephant parade, birthday happiness, Vision First, Children & Youth Services - Community Chest Hong Kong, Project Aware, Movember and Sons.

By: Amy McQueen29 October 2013

Strict & Not Strict At HKA

Strict & Not Strict At HKA

Strict Not Strict

Uniform Accessories

Jackets Hair

Coats Shoes

Photo by:http://www.pollpub.com/should-schools-be-forsed-to-have-school-uniforms.aspx

Amy McQueen Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:32:24 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

✓ Pros and Cons ✗ of HKA school uniforms

No:

School Uniforms are not great because its hard to express your individuality. As well it may discourage students from expressing their individuality. Most of school uniforms in hong kong aren’t very pretty, functional and comfy. Most people don’t like them because they make you feel like you are in your strict church clothes all the time. Dressing how you want would give shy students self-confidence to join in in class. In some schools without uniforms, students are most likely judged by what they wear. Even though HKA uniforms aren't that strict but from personal experience most of the school in Hong Kong are wearing really strict clothing for example full on suit and tie for boys and full on overalls ( skirt ) for girls with ties and church black shoes for girls and boys.

In conclusion I think in general School uniforms are great, less of a distraction for students and teachers. But in HKA the uniforms here are great meaning we don’t have to wear “church clothes” thanks to the Head of school. So there are the Pros and Cons of the HKA school uniforms.

Amy McQueen Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:32:24 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

[1]

SEAHAWKS: KINGS OF THE

NFL PLAYOFFS?

BY: NICOLAUS STROZESKIOCTOBER 29,2013October- in American and Canadian sports because this is the time that the MLB (Major League Baseball) playoffs are. to see the best team in the MLB. But this is also to make early playoff picks and super bowl picks in the NFL (National Football League) and I have already made my super bowl pics: Seattle Seahawks vs Denver Broncos. My final

decision for the winners of the Super Bowl XLVIII is going to be the Seattle Seahawks. Even though I have been a Seattle Seahawks fan ever since I was 10 and I live 200 miles from Seattle in Bend,Oregon I am going to give you 3 reasons why you should expect the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super bowl XLVIII.

Nicolaus Strozeski Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:30:01 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

[2]

The first reason is: there progress so far: The Seattle Seahawks record is 4-1-0 (and for those who donʻt know what this means itʻs win-loss-tie) so far. And this is a great, but there is one exception. Last year, the Arizona Cardinals had a five game win streak and were about to play the San Francisco 49ers (the losers on the Super Bowl XLVII) and they lost that game, and every game since. even though the Seattle Seahawks record is 4-1-0 the Denver Broncos record is 5-0-0, (as of october 9th of October, 2013) but they will lose at least 1 game, if not they will win the Super Bowl.

Another thing are the stars players for the Seattle Seahawks is there star quarterback: Russell Wilson

even though he is the smallest quarterback in the NFL. According to Sports Illustrated Kids. this quarter back is super pumped for a brand new season of the NFL. Although Russell Wilson and the rest of his team mates of the Seattle Seahawks are pumped for the new season, Peyton Manning and his teammates of the Denver Broncos are a pumped to win like the Seattle Seahawks.

The final thing that I want to convince you about rooting for the Seattle Seahawks is the playoffs history. In the past 9 years the Seattle Seahawks have appeared in 2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2010, and 2012 playoffs. But, the Denver Broncos

have appeared in 2003,2004,2005,2011, and 2012 playoffs. so this gives and playoffs advantage for the Seattle Seahawks

Even though I totally disagree with Sports Illustrated Kids and the person that I interviewed said the Denver Broncos will win the Super Bowl XLVIII these are the ways that the Seattle Seahawks are going to win the Super Bowl XLVIII. Who do you think will win the Super Bowl XLVIII?

www.seattleseahawks.com

Nicolaus.inc asia99-103 tai mong tsai

road, Sai kung, NT, Hong Kong

office hours

mon,tue,thu,fri-&:7:50AM-3:00PM

wed7:50AM-12:20PM

NICOLAUS.INCteathrow 1000 century drive, Bend oregon

Nicolaus Strozeski Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:30:01 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

[1]

Ozil: Key to Arsenal’s success? By: Nic Heywood

29 October 2013

Does Arsenal’s new £42m superstar Mesut Ozil really hold the key to the team’s success? The Germany midfielder recently signed a contract at Arsenal. Real Madrid players have questioned Ozil’s exit from the Bernabeu (Real Madrid’s stadium). Ozil’s entrance into the club was during some difficult times for Arsenal. With Arsenal only just clinching a Champions League place last season many fans wanted Wenger out. As deadline day drew near and the only signing Wenger had got was young French striker Sanogo. Many fans were crying for Wenger getting the sack. Wenger replied with style, bringing in former Arsenal midfielder Flamani from AC Milan, but that wasn’t all Ozil staying at Real Madrid seemed in some doubt and within hours Wenger had snapped him up.

1 Should Ozil really moved to the emirates? Many Real Madrid players have questioned the departure of Ozil. When Ozil starred in the 2010 world cup for Germany Real Madrid quickly saw the talent and snapped him up for £12m from Werder Bremen in August 2010. He starred in some of Real Madrid's biggest games, but when Luca Modric joined from Tottenham Ozil was left out of Real Madrid's squad. This certainly was a factor of his leaving the club. Many Arsenal fans were very surprised by his joining Arsenal over other teams. Star student and Arsenal fan Oliver Taylor quoted “It is one giant leap for Arsenal kind,” not every one was of the same opinion, some said Ozil had lost his form and that was why Madrid let him go. Nicola Dixon a long term Arsenal fan said “It’s too early to say,” There is no denying that many fans are happy to see him.

Ozil Stats:Weight: 73kgBorn: 15/10/1988Age: 25Hight: 1.82mNationality: GermanyGoals: 60Total Games: 355Trophies: 5Passes: 12,832Assists: 144

Ozil’s goal and assist

against Napoli

Nic Heywood Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:30:02 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

[2]

2 Has Ozil affected Arsenals games? Definitely is the answer. In Ozil’s first game against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, Ozil played in Giroud who netted the first goal. He then Played in Walcott who narrowly missed. He totally controlled the midfield. He played in Giroud and Walcott again both of them however missed. So over all his first game was a success. In other games he really influenced the team, by stringing in passes and having the occasional shot. However his biggest game probably came against Napoli in the champions league. Ozil grabbed his first goal by firing a bullet shot passed the goal keeper and i to the net. 7 minuets later he set up Giroud who made it 2-0. Ozil was the star player in the game and he could have scored more, but chose to lay it onto other players. Other players have really been influenced by Ozil’s entrance to the club. Many players have upped there game. Ozil has been popular with his team mates posting pictures of them all together after games on Instagram.

3 How will he be in the future? We maybe don’t want to think about the future, this isn’t because we think we will disappoint more like we don’t want to dream about the title and other glories. Many predicted that Arsenal will come 1st to 3rd this season because we have bought Ozil. I interviewed several people about what position we would come in if we hadn't bought Ozil. The answers I got ranged from 3rd to 5th. If Ozil keeps up his recent form many are predicting our trophy drought might come to an end soon! If Ozil hadn't signed for Arsenal many people would agree with me when I say Wenger would have been out. In some ways the signing of Ozil and Arsenals recent good form is the only way Wenger could have stayed here. Over all I would say that Ozil does hold the key, maybe not to total success, but some success and defiantly and end to coming 4th - 5th in the prem. Maybe even making it past the round of 16 in the champions league. Ozil has made a big difference on and off the pitch such as the goals and assists, but also Wenger keeping his job and players really pushing them selves to perfection and an Arsenal standard. Many players have said the entrance of Ozil has really made them relies what a big club Arsenal is and that it is there duty not only to win the small games, but to win big games and titles.

"He [Özil] makes football look easy."

- Wenger

Ozil Celebrating one of his goals against

Norwich

Pictures By:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2418671/Arsene-Wenger-walk-away-Arsenal-fail-win-trophy.htmlhttp://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/342371/SNAPPED-Arsenal-stars-Olivier-Giroud-twice-and-Mesut-Ozil-get-naked

http://southlondontoday.com/category/mesut-ozil/

http://woolwich1886.blogspot.hk/2013/09/ozil-to-giroud-makings-of-world-class.htmlhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2426893/Arsenal-3-Stoke-1--match-report-Aaron-Ramsey-scores-Gunners-win.html http://www.tankedup-imaging.com/css_dev/image02.htmlPictures Edited by: Nic Heywood

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zm1Grd9sA8

Nic Heywood Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:30:02 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

The Manager

Arsene Wenger is known as the best Arsenal manager ever to step foot in any of our stadiums. In the 17 years he’s been at Arsenal he has won 3 premiere league titles and 4 FA cups. He has a knack of taking underachieving players making them brilliant such as the likes of Thierry Henry. He made a team they called “Invincible”.

ARSENALOCTOBER 2013

Arsenal:Have won the premiere league and first division 13 times and FA cup 10 times

ARSENAL : THE BEST IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE? Lots of people love Arsenal and

hate Arsenal but here’s the question: are they the best? Arsenal have had great success in the past and hopefully in the future. With great legends like Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Patrick Vieira. We also have promising youth such as the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin, Yaya Sanogo and Ryo Miyaichi. Also new signings like Mesut Ozil. Or our great inform players such as Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey. Our team is beautiful, special and great. But are they the best. In my opinion it’s a great club and a beautiful team but it’s not the best.

1. Our current team and situation: The situation we find ourselves in at the moment is just typical great form. Players such as Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil are playing extraordinary. “Defense is doing well no silly mistakes. We are getting it” I quote this from an interview with Ms Dixon a teacher at HKA. In many ways she is right with what she is saying but I still believe that we need a new young promising defender for the

future. We have Carl Jenkinson but he’s a Right Back. We need a player that plays like David Luiz. We have great youth in the midfield with the likes of Jack Wilshere and the inform Aaron Ramsey. Our financial situation is strong we have a lot of money in the bank but our manager Arsene Wenger. Isn’t spending, it took us a whole transfer window to sign 1 great player Mesut Ozil “Which is a step in the right direction”. Quote from Mr Nic Heywood. Who is definitely correct if Arsene Wenger can keep signing players like Mesut Ozil Arsenal will definitely win the premiere league. Lot’s of people have a “love hate relationship”, said design teacher Ms Dixon. With Arsene Wenger as last year I felt like hanging my self when he was making such terrible signings like useless players such as Nacho Monreal. But now he’s set every thing right with the signing of Mesut Ozil. I believe that if we buy a solid player in january I think we’ll be set to win the premiere league and make a stand in the champions league.

Jack Wilshere

celebrating with Oliveir Giroud after

scoring against Norwich in our

4-1

Oliver Taylor Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 11:02:49 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Arsenal The best ?????

2. Arsenals History: Our history is legendary and amazing. With the likes of the great french man Thierry Henry and players like Cesc Fabregas and David Seaman. Our history is more amazing then manchester united’s if you ask me because we did 49 unbeaten streak and 3 consecutive premiere league title’s. “Arsene Wenger when he first came was good. Over the years he’s done very well but last year he kind of stopped but the great signing of ozil rejoiced his greatness” Quoted form interview with Nic a student at hka. When Arsene was in his prime he was great their was no word you could use to describe him he was amazing but eventually his respect lowered over the years and now he is no where near as good as he was in his prime. At first when he bought the likes of Thierry Henry everyone thought why but he turned from this underdog to the best striker in the world Mr Wenger showed all the other team who’s the best. Every other player in the world would happily move to Arsenal if offered to play along side Thierry Henry,Cesc Fabregas and David Seaman.

! 3. Potential players that should be sold and bought: I feel like we need to sell and buy a few players such as Nacho Monreal and Thomas Rosicky. Thomas Rosicky has done very well over the past 4 years but with age comes laziness and lack of pace causing him to be on the bench all the time which he doesn’t deserve. I feel he should move to a team such as Fulham where he’ll get a lot more playing time as for Nacho Monreal I feel like he shouldn’t have been signed in the first place all he is a replacement for Gibbs so that Gibbs will have to try

play to the fullest to keep his spot in the first team and keep Gibbs in good form he should have never moved to Arsenal in the first place. I feel that we need to buy a good young promising Centre back for the future and a first team quality striker to replace Oliver Giroud if he gets badly injured. God Forbid. Good choices would be players like Neven Subotic who’s 24 years old and he is 6’4 foot plays for Borussia Dortmund. Also Raphael Varane who’s french 20 years old and he is 6’3 foot and plays for Real Madrid. Christian Benteke who’s belgian 22 years old and he’s 6’4 foot and plays for Aston villa. Also another great attacking option would be Daniel Sturridge who is from England 23 years old and he’s 6 foot and play’s for Liverpool. The most likely to be Neven Subotic or Christian Benteke.

! Conclusion: Overall I believe that Arsenal is just an overall brilliant team but I don’t think that we are the best in the world. But I do think are team is inches away from being great enough to win the premiere league in my opinion the most interesting and popular league in the world. In 3 final words COME ON ARSENAL!!!

Written By,Oliver Taylor

Thanks to Nic, Ms Dixon and Tommaso for their interviews.

Good Website

ARSENAL

Some Info Thierry Henry:Best french player from the last decade. He played for arsenal from 1999 to 2007. He became top goalscorer for the club with 228 goals. Now he is close to retiring and plays for New York Red bulls.

Mesut Ozil: Aged 25 is a new signing for arsenal. We were able to get him for about 43 million.

The Greatest

The Youth

The New

Oliver Taylor Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 11:02:49 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Pictures

http://www.arsenal.com

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

http://espnfc.com

Oliver Taylor Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 11:02:49 AM Hong Kong Standard Time

Dancing is my favorite sport. Dancing is like pistachios. It is because pistachios is a food, when you eat it will make people happy. And when people dance, it will make people happy too! Dancing will also make people healthy. For example: dancing can keep everyone fit. Also dancing will make me and my bones strong and will make your heart melt too! Why will dancing make people happy and why will dancing make people enjoy? It is because when you listen to a favorite song, you can dance with the rhythm. There are many different kinds of dancing. Some good dances are Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Rabbit dance and Samba. My favorite dance is Cha Cha and I love this dance very much. It is because Cha Cha‘s song is very fast. If I listen to the song, I can’t resist to dance. Dancing is really fun, I think you will

like dancing too. Of course, I hope you will enjoy it!

Dancing: A great sportBy Mei Tan 28 October 2013

Mei Tan Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 10:29:45 AM Hong Kong Standard Time